EX-BEATLE SURVIVES ATTACK BY INTRUDER

A man described as obsessed with The Beatles broke into the well-guarded home of former Beatle George Harrison early Thursday and stabbed the 56-year-old musician during a scuffle. The attack occurred 19 years after John Lennon was shot to death by a crazed fan in New York.

Doctors said Harrison suffered a one-inch knife wound in the right side of his chest that caused a partial collapse of one lung, but he was reported in stable condition and resting comfortably in a hospital.

The knife missed his heart by an inch, doctors said. "It's by chance that it was not more serious," said surgeon William Fountain.

Harrison's wife, Olivia, was slightly injured by the attacker but mainly suffered shock and did not need hospital treatment.

Harrison and his wife overpowered the intruder and held him until police arrived.

The couple's assailant was identified by police as Michael Abram, 33, an unemployed father of two who has a history of mental illness. He was hospitalized with a head injury, then transferred to a police station for questioning. Abram was being held on suspicion of attempted murder.

In an interview published Thursday in the Liverpool Echo newspaper, Abram's mother, Lynda, said her son has a history of mental health problems and had recently fixated on The Beatles.

"He has been running in pubs shouting about The Beatles," she told the newspaper. "He hates them and even believes they are witches and takes their lyrics seriously. He started to wear a Walkman to play music to stop the voices in his head."

Police said Abram was from Liverpool, The Beatles' hometown, and his apartment there was searched. Authorities would not speculate on a motive, but police leading the investigation said they doubted that the break-in was a burglary and believed Abram came to London for the specific purpose of attacking Harrison.

An administrator at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, where Harrison was treated after the attack, said the former Beatle kept his sense of humor about the incident, saying that the intruder "certainly wasn't auditioning for the Traveling Wilburys," the group Harrison formed in 1988 that included Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison.

Harrison and his wife have lived a semireclusive life at their 120-room mansion, a former convent, just outside Henley-on-Thames, about 30 miles west of London.

A key question was how the intruder managed to evade the tight security arrangements on the estate, known as Friar Park, to reach the Harrisons. The house sits well back from the road on 30 acres of grounds surrounded by high walls topped with razor wire. It is protected by an electronic surveillance system and video cameras, and the grounds are patrolled by dogs.

Two years ago some people were reported to have tried to break into the grounds by cutting a cable that was part of the video system, but they were foiled by a backup system.

Police searching the area on Thursday found a blue bag in the shrubbery but said they did not know if it belonged to the intruder.

Details of the incident were sketchy, but police said the suspect broke into the house by smashing through a window.

"Mr. Harrison would have been woken by breaking glass and would have gone downstairs to investigate that," Detective Chief Inspector Euan Read told reporters.

Read said the Harrisons and Abram scuffled through three rooms, which became splattered with blood. "What is very clear here is that this was quite a vicious attack on George Harrison and his wife," Read said.

Police sources said Olivia Harrison stunned Abram by hitting him on the head with a lamp.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney issued a statement saying he was shocked to learn of the attack and sent the couple "all my love."

"Thank God that both George and Olivia are all right," McCartney said.

Bandmate Ringo Starr also expressed shock, saying in a statement that he and his wife "send George and Olivia all our love and wish George a speedy recovery."

Henley, site of the annual Henley Regatta boat race, a highlight of Britain's summer social season, is a town with a number of prominent and wealthy residents, including the writer John Mortimer and comedian Ruby Wax.

Like all of The Beatles, Harrison was the product of a working-class Liverpool family.

Hunter Davies, a biographer of The Beatles, said Harrison kept out of the limelight more than any of the three surviving Beatles. A local pub owner said Harrison used to drop into the pub but seldom did so in recent years, and some neighbors said they were unaware Harrison lived near them.

Davies said some people recently have exchanged information on the Internet on how to find Harrison's mansion.

Harrison, the lead guitarist with The Beatles, wrote some of the group's best-known songs, including "Here Comes the Sun" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." After the band broke up in 1970, he produced his own albums and the hit single "My Sweet Lord." He also financed several British films and was reported to be a generous contributor to various charities.

He developed an interest in Asian mysticism, became a vegetarian and withdrew from the public eye.

In 1966 Harrison married British model Patti Boyd, but she left him in 1974 for his longtime friend, guitarist Eric Clapton. Harrison married the former Olivia Arias in 1978 and they have one son, Dhani, 21.

Last year, Harrison disclosed he had been battling throat cancer for more than a year and had surgery to remove a lump in his neck.

First reports said Harrison was stabbed four times, but doctors said he had only one wound on the right side of his chest, plus bruises and abrasions. A drain was inserted in his chest to keep his lungs open.

He was transferred from the Royal Berkshire Hospital to a specialized thoracic unit for observation, and doctors said he would remain hospitalized about 48 hours.

Well-wishers sent flowers and messages to the hospital from all over the world, and a bronze statue of The Beatles in Liverpool became an instant magnet for flowers and cards.

A homemade card adorned with pictures of Harrison said: "I may not be able to be with you at this sad time but I hope the strength of everyone's love reaches you."